Curtis Granderson's Second Injury Hurt Yankees the Most

Outfielder also missed out on having a big year before free agency.

By

Jared Diamond

Sept. 25, 2013 8:59 p.m. ET

It is no secret that the Yankees have been decimated by injuries.

At various points this season, they have lost their $28 million third baseman (Alex Rodriguez), their $23 million ace (CC Sabathia), their $22.5 million first baseman (Mark Teixeira) and their $17 million shortstop (Derek Jeter). And that doesn't include another group of seemingly important players who have missed significant chunks of time, including infielder Kevin Youkilis and designated hitter Travis Hafner.

But out of that long list to choose from, one injury in particular stands out to manager Joe Girardi: outfielder Curtis Granderson's broken finger. It wasn't necessarily the most devastating, or the one that did the most to derail the team's season, but no other injury better embodied the frustration that was the Yankees in 2013.

Before it happened, the Yankees thought that Granderson had already gone through his unlucky break for the year. He was hit by a pitch and broke his right forearm during spring training, forcing him to miss the first six weeks of the season. That was difficult enough to stomach.

Just eight games after Granderson returned to the lineup, disaster struck again. Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Cesar Ramos hit the center fielder with a pitch, fracturing the fifth metacarpal on his left hand. Granderson didn't play again until August.

"You could just see the difficulty that he was having, and I think we all kind of felt it for him because of what he's meant to this team and the type of person he is," Girardi said. "I think that was hard for all of us."

On the field, Granderson's injury severely damaged the Yankees' chances. In 2011 and 2012, he compiled a total of 84 home runs and 225 RBIs, establishing himself as one of the most dangerous sluggers in the American League. It isn't easy to simply replace that kind of production.

But more than that, Girardi said, Granderson's second injury was "the one people talked about from an emotions standpoint."

At that time, the Yankees thought their season was heading in the right direction. They were winning games, and more important, their injured players were starting to get healthy.

It almost felt like Granderson getting hurt again was a sign: This wasn't going to be the Yankees' year. The team never managed to get healthy, and entering Wednesday's game against the Rays, they found themselves on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention.

Granderson, meanwhile, has played in just 57 games this season. He entered Wednesday hitting .233 with seven home runs and 14 RBIs.

From a personal standpoint, Granderson's injury-plagued season couldn't have come at a worse time. He is a free agent this winter and would have been a prime candidate to receive a long-term, big-money contract. No player in baseball hit more homers than Granderson over 2011-12.

Now his future is unclear. Though Granderson is only 32 years old, young enough to still put together several more productive seasons, teams may be scared off by what he went through in 2013. There is no guarantee that he will be able to revert back to his previous form.

Granderson has never been a free agent before and said he is looking forward to the experience.

For the first time, he will be able to control where he plays. He played with the Detroit Tigers from 2004 through 2009, before being traded to the Yankees that winter.

Ultimately, Granderson said he would like to come back to the Yankees if the opportunity presented itself.

But that doesn't mean he won't test the waters, and hope teams trust that he can still be an effective player.

"I've enjoyed my time here," Granderson said. "At the same time, it's definitely a business, and we'll see how it all ends up shaking out."

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